1 These are the words of the letter Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders of the exiles, to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had left Jerusalem. 3 He sent it by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said:

4 “This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 Seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its peace you will have peace.

8 For this is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Do not let your prophets and diviners among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams you yourselves cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy lies to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.

10 For this is what the LORD says: When seventy years are complete for Babylon, I will attend to you and fulfill my good word to you by bringing you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for peace and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call on me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD. I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile. 15 Because you have said, ‘The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’

16 this is what the LORD says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people living in this city, your brothers who did not go into exile with you: 17 This is what the LORD of hosts says: Look, I am sending sword, famine, and plague against them, and I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague and make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, a desolation, an object of hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them. 19 For they did not listen to my words, declares the LORD, which I sent to them by my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them. And you have not listened, declares the LORD. 20 But you, all the exiles whom I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the word of the LORD.

21 This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: Look, I will give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes. 22 All the exiles of Judah in Babylon will take up a curse from them: ‘May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.’ 23 For they have done a disgraceful thing in Israel, committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and spoken lying words in my name that I did not command them. I am the one who knows and is a witness, declares the LORD.”

24 To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you are to say: 25 “This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Because you sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The LORD has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, to be in charge in the LORD’s house of every madman who prophesies, so that you put him in the stocks and a neck clamp. 27 Why then have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesies to you? 28 For he has sent word to us in Babylon: The exile will be long. Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ” 29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send word to all the exiles: This is what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32 therefore this is what the LORD says: Look, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. He will have no one dwelling among this people, nor will he see the good I will do for my people, declares the LORD, because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.”